TUPOU coming WIDDOP going

[Mr Red]

I would be looking for a halfback from within or at Kurt Mann. I suspect and hope that is why he was he was recruited. Or even as was suggested above, Robert Lui. I don't like women beaters anymore than anyone else but he has paid the price and (hopefully) won't do it again.

get rid of Widdop and get Lui or Kurt Mann... that'll do me... :shock::shock:

 

[Vasilevsky]

get rid of Widdop and get Lui or Kurt Mann... that'll do me... :shock::shock:

Kurt Mann is already signed:sarcasm:. And how did Lui go against Widdop in the game against the Cowboys?

 

[Mr Red]

Kurt Mann is already signed:sarcasm:. And how did Lui go against Widdop in the game against the Cowboys?

yeah i know Mann is signed, i was referring to him replacing Widdop in the starting team.. you're kidding if you think thats an improvement

 

[Vasilevsky]

yeah i know Mann is signed, i was referring to him replacing Widdop in the starting team.. you're kidding if you think thats an improvement

Not sure. He surely couldn't have been recruited as a centre. Too slow. Apparently I read here he was a very good 5/8 in juniors. From a strictly cost/benefit perspective I couldn't imagine him being worse. He was probably signed on a fraction of the money our marquee signing Widdop is on. And how did Lui, vis-a-vis Widdop, go in the Cowboys game? FFS he was comprehensively outplayed by Robinson in the last game against the Shonkies.

 

[BennyV]

get rid of Widdop and get Lui or Kurt Mann... that'll do me... :shock::shock:

Whats so hard to comprehend - of course we should offload a premiership winning, england representative 5/8 just because he is out of form. And who better to replace him than a reserve-grade quality repeat-offending woman beater! Its the logic thing to do. And while we are at it, offload Dugan and re-sign Quinlan...

 

[Mr Red]

Not sure. He surely couldn't have been recruited as a centre. Too slow. Apparently I read here he was a very good 5/8 in juniors. From a strictly cost/benefit perspective I couldn't imagine him being worse. He was probably signed on a fraction of the money our marquee signing Widdop is on. And how did Lui, vis-a-vis Widdop, go in the Cowboys game? FFS he was comprehensively outplayed by Robinson in the last game against the Shonkies.

ok so using your logic we should sign Robinson as well?

 

[Mr Red]

Whats so hard to comprehend - of course we should offload a premiership winning, england representative 5/8 just because he is out of form. And who better to replace him than a reserve-grade quality repeat-offending woman beater! Its the logic thing to do. And while we are at it, offload Dugan and re-sign Quinlan...

1. quinlan
2. Nabuli
3. Nielsen
4. Farrell
5. Kiti-Glymin
6. Mann
7. Lui

hmmmm i smell a premiership...

 

[The Nick]

Kurt Mann is already signed:sarcasm:. And how did Lui go against Widdop in the game against the Cowboys?

How did Lui go against his pregnant missus? Sorry but that is an incredibly stupid suggestion.

 

[Slippery Morris]

OK. Lui is a bad call based on off field, fair enough. Sorry my bad.

Maybe Saints should look in England for a half. So far any player that has come over from England has gone well. Not like the old days where they were duds.

I hope Widdop stays and him and Marshall work it out. They are both capable and produced some good form for a period in this season.

 

[Vasilevsky]

Look, I'm sorry that so many people are flipping out over the Robert Lui comment. I was merely agreeing with another poster. Please save your vitriol. As I stated previously, I don't like women beaters at least not anymore and probably quite a lot less than other normal guys. Having said that, I believe on (Rugby League) form and in a cost/benefit analysis, it at least wasn't a bad suggestion. Now I'm sorry if Mr Red and BennyV don't like my opinion but that won't change my opinion. And from the looks of it, there seems to be at least a reasonable chance McGregor's opinion is closer to mine. If anyone else can explain the reason for Kurt Mann's signing I would appreciate their feedback.

No, it doesn't mean I would replace Dugan with Quinlan. Dugan has been really good this year and was absolutely outstanding before Origin. Since then, like the rest of the team he hasn't been great. Before Origin Widdop, it seemed to me being dragged along by Benji and Dugans coattails, was reasonable. During and since he has been absolutely shocking. Being comprehensively outplayed by Robinson for example. Yet he is a 'marquee signing'!

Others are welcome to their opinions but mine is that it would be best Widdop left (providing the Dragons don't have to pay too much of his salary for the next 2 years) and a young, untested half brought in. Or, dare I say it, Robert Lui. After all, he comprehensively outplayed Widdop when both teams were depleted.

 

[Jubileeboy]

Look, I'm sorry that so many people are flipping out over the Robert Lui comment. I was merely agreeing with another poster. Please save your vitriol. As I stated previously, I don't like women beaters at least not anymore and probably quite a lot less than other normal guys. Having said that, I believe on (Rugby League) form and in a cost/benefit analysis, it at least wasn't a bad suggestion. Now I'm sorry if Mr Red and BennyV don't like my opinion but that won't change my opinion. And from the looks of it, there seems to be at least a reasonable chance McGregor's opinion is closer to mine. If anyone else can explain the reason for Kurt Mann's signing I would appreciate their feedback.

No, it doesn't mean I would replace Dugan with Quinlan. Dugan has been really good this year and was absolutely outstanding before Origin. Since then, like the rest of the team he hasn't been great. Before Origin Widdop, it seemed to me being dragged along by Benji and Dugans coattails, was reasonable. During and since he has been absolutely shocking. Being comprehensively outplayed by Robinson for example. Yet he is a 'marquee signing'!

Others are welcome to their opinions but mine is that it would be best Widdop left (providing the Dragons don't have to pay too much of his salary for the next 2 years) and a young, untested half brought in. Or, dare I say it, Robert Lui. After all, he comprehensively outplayed Widdop when both teams were depleted.

Fair enough, you're entitled to your opinions...and I don't agree with them either. No big deal really.
I would keep him.
- We know he has the ability.
- Young enough to build a team around and develop as a playmaker.
- With cap increases over the next 2 years of $245k (2016) and $200k (2017), should he develop and come into his own, will prove to be a shrewd investment.
- I would work on the existing players and their combinations.

 

[Slippery Morris]

If Widdop is 100% leaving then if Saints find themselves in a position where they have no chance of making the 8, I would throw in Hutchison or Crook to gain some experience and play them along side Benji for the rest of the season.

Hopefully they win the next few games and it does not come to that but if so I think that would be ideal.

 

[Slippery Morris]

That is "IF" Widdop is leaving.

 

[Vasilevsky]

Fair enough, you're entitled to your opinions...and I don't agree with them either. No big deal really.
I would keep him.
- We know he has the ability.
- Young enough to build a team around and develop as a playmaker.
- With cap increases over the next 2 years of $245k (2016) and $200k (2017), should he develop and come into his own, will prove to be a shrewd investment.
- I would work on the existing players and their combinations.

Rises in the salary cap typically don't help a teams salary cap position. The contracts are negotiated in such a way that bif the salary cap rises, the value of their contracts rise the corresponding %.

I don't think Widdop is a 'bad' player. I just think he is on massive overs. For a 'marquee player' he hasn't shown nearly enough over the past 2 years while for the past 8 weeks, he has been extremely poor. I know a lot of people will say he was good earlier in the season but I watched all the games. Benji, Dugan, Frizell, Thompson and JDB were standouts. It looked to me that Widdop was being pulled along by them. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am. If Widdop plays really well consistently, as one should expect from a marquee player, and they make the finals I will gladly admit I was wrong.

 

[Jubileeboy]

Rises in the salary cap typically don't help a teams salary cap position. The contracts are negotiated in such a way that bif the salary cap rises, the value of their contracts rise the corresponding %.

I don't think Widdop is a 'bad' player. I just think he is on massive overs. For a 'marquee player' he hasn't shown nearly enough over the past 2 years while for the past 8 weeks, he has been extremely poor. I know a lot of people will say he was good earlier in the season but I watched all the games. Benji, Dugan, Frizell, Thompson and JDB were standouts. It looked to me that Widdop was being pulled along by them. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am. If Widdop plays really well consistently, as one should expect from a marquee player, and they make the finals I will gladly admit I was wrong.

Sorry. You are wrong about the contract negotiations except for those negotiated around the times of impending broadcast and TV rights deals.

 

[rainman44]

Rises in the salary cap typically don't help a teams salary cap position. The contracts are negotiated in such a way that bif the salary cap rises, the value of their contracts rise the corresponding %.

I don't think Widdop is a 'bad' player. I just think he is on massive overs. For a 'marquee player' he hasn't shown nearly enough over the past 2 years while for the past 8 weeks, he has been extremely poor. I know a lot of people will say he was good earlier in the season but I watched all the games. Benji, Dugan, Frizell, Thompson and JDB were standouts. It looked to me that Widdop was being pulled along by them. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am. If Widdop plays really well consistently, as one should expect from a marquee player, and they make the finals I will gladly admit I was wrong.

I dont think $550k a year is marquee money anymore, it use to be but now it's more of the Merrin money of $750k that the panthers are paying. What Widdop is on is good money and he needs to be better but I would rather see him with us when we have a forward pack next year, then we can judge him and Mary.

 

[True_Believer]

Sorry. You are wrong about the contract negotiations except for those negotiated around the times of impending broadcast and TV rights deals.

Jubileeboy, do you have insider knowledge of contract negotiations? I am beginning to suspect you are a player manager. Who do you manage?

 

[True_Believer]

I dont think $550k a year is marquee money anymore, it use to be but now it's more of the Merrin money of $750k that the panthers are paying. What Widdop is on is good money and he needs to be better but I would rather see him with us when we have a forward pack next year, then we can judge him and Mary.

Spot on. When you are playing the likes of Mathews in the front row and have Marketo on the bench, you can't really suggest we have the size and power up front to create enough space for the halves. As you said, he needs to be better, but there are a number of contributing factors to Widdops and Benjis poor form of late - one of them is our go forward.

 

[Vasilevsky]

I dont think $550k a year is marquee money anymore, it use to be but now it's more of the Merrin money of $750k that the panthers are paying. What Widdop is on is good money and he needs to be better but I would rather see him with us when we have a forward pack next year, then we can judge him and Mary.

Spot on. When you are playing the likes of Mathews in the front row and have Marketo on the bench, you can't really suggest we have the size and power up front to create enough space for the halves. As you said, he needs to be better, but there are a number of contributing factors to Widdops and Benjis poor form of late - one of them is our go forward.

Both very good points. But I go back to the start of the year when the forward pack was going really well. Benji and Dugan were outstanding. In my opinion Widdop only got a pass mark at best. The only trouble I saw him give opposition defence, either running or as a playmaker, was in his short kicking game. At this stage I would be happy if another team were to pay his salary and take him for the next 2 years but as I said, I hope I'm proved wrong.

 

[Get2dachopper!]

Spot on. When you are playing the likes of Mathews in the front row and have Marketo on the bench, you can't really suggest we have the size and power up front to create enough space for the halves. As you said, he needs to be better, but there are a number of contributing factors to Widdops and Benjis poor form of late - one of them is our go forward.

I'd believe this at the beginning of the year, but Matthews and Marketo have nothing to do with Marshall throwing a silly no look pass or widdop tripping over his own feet. It's an easy cop out for them both, and I won't accept this excuse anymore. Last year the excuse was they needed time to gel, this year it's the forwards. And next year?

They both need to pull their finger out otherwise I think Mary may chop one of them next year.